Methylenedioxybenzene is a product widely used in organic chemistry. It is used in particular as a synthesis intermediate in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and perfumery fields.
Several synthetic pathways are described in the literature.
In particular, it is known practice to produce it according to a method which consists in reacting pyrocatechol (or 1,2-dihydroxybenzene) and methylene chloride in the presence of large amounts of sodium hydroxide and of a chain-transfer agent (FR 2 339 605).
This method suffers from many drawbacks. It is carried out under pressure, which involves special equipment.
It uses methylene chloride, which is a reactant that must be used with care. Exposure to the vapors can cause an irritation of the respiratory pathways (coughing), of the eyes, of the skin and of the digestive pathways, causing nausea and vomiting.
It also has the drawback of being accompanied by the production of saline waste containing large amounts of sodium chloride, which implies an additional cost for treating the residual wastewater.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method which makes it possible to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks.